When Captain Flint Was Still a Good Man
Description
A “powerful first novel” about “loyalty and moral choice within a crumbling family” (The Boston Globe).
Every fall, the men of Loyalty Island—like their fathers and grandfathers before them—still sail from the Olympic Peninsula up to the Bering Sea to spend the winter catching king crab. Their dangerous occupation keeps food on the table but constantly threatens to leave empty seats around it.
To Cal, Alaska remains as mythical and mysterious as Treasure Island, and the stories his father returns with are as mesmerizing as those he once invented about Captain Flint before he turned pirate. But while Cal is too young to accompany his father, he is old enough to know that everything depends on the fate of those few boats thousands of
miles to the north. He is also old enough to feel the tension between his parents over whether he will follow in his father’s footsteps. And old enough to wonder about his mother’s relationship with John Gaunt, owner of the fleet.
Then Gaunt dies suddenly, leaving the business in the hands of his son, who seems intent on selling away the fishermen’s livelihood. Soon Cal stumbles on evidence that his father may have taken extreme measures to salvage their way of life. As winter comes on, his suspicions deepening and his moral compass shattered, he is forced to make a terrible choice.
Praise for When Captain Flint Was Still a Good Man
“ Dybek can paint a salty landscape…but it’s the fast whirlpool of lies, murder, and moral dilemma that drives the book. “ – Outside Magazine
“Finely crafted … a taut novel juggling the sometimes conflicting impulses to do the moral thing, and to protect those we love.” – The Los Angeles Times
“A complex and riveting tale about deception and betrayal, asking us how far we would go to preserve what we hold dearest ... In this magnificent debut Dybek’s incommunicable thrills shock us and disturb us and make him one to watch.” – The Daily Beast
"Dybek brings serious talent to bear … Powerful.” - The New York Times Book Review
“[A] powerful first novel … [that explores] loyalty and moral choice within a crumbling family.” -- The Boston Globe
"Dybek constructs a suspenseful novel, and the quality of writing is enough to engage the reader...the themes that [he] tackles are universal and are sure to resonate with all." -- Fredricksburg Free-Lance Star
“Hypnotic, relentless…Dybek’s strength of voice and confident command over Loyalty Island’s obsessive fishing community is enough to cement this seaside tale of morality’s limitations as a terrific debut.” – The Onion A.V. Club
“[A] striking debut novel, thick with a sense of maritime freedom, lawlessness and tragedy” – Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“There is…wisdom here, and the momentum of a thrilling yarn, delivered as if by a scarred man by the consoling light of a fire.” – The Economist
“Potent …Dybek conjures his island with rich physical details… marshaling the narrative along with an almost flawless sense of timing and pace.… [An] impressive debut.” – The Millions
“Engrossing, often haunting … When the deck is stacked against us, when the wind is up and the cry comes from the crow’s nest, will we ultimately act as Young Jim or Long John Silver? That’s the dilemma Cal finds himself in and one that readers will toss about in their minds long after finishing this fine debut novel.” –Washington Independent Review of Books
“Incandescently imaginative and suspenseful...Dybek has created a superbly orchestrated and soulful drama of loyalty to family and an imperiled way of life and the fathomless forces that make a good man go bad.” – Booklist
“Dybek proves himself an observant, appealing writer…the story [is] peopled with multidimensional characters and featuring well-drawn settings. [He] writes well about family, about relationships and loyalty, about responsibility and community, and about all that passes from father to son.” --Kirkus
"Complex and suspenseful . . . Dybek manages to create [a] genuine tragedy-powerful, mythic, unforgettable."-Jaimy Gordon, author of Lord of Misrule
"An authentic, atmospheric, coming-of-age story with a painful dilemma . . . A terrific debut."-C. J. Box, author of Back of Beyond
"Robert Louis Stevenson would be proud of Nick Dybek. . . . He delivers a page-turner full of danger, secrets, and betrayals."-Stewart O'Nan, author of Emily, Alone
"Part mystery, part lament, part coming-of-age drama, this novel will stay with you long after you turn the last page. . . . Fascinating and powerful."-Daniel Alarcón, author of Lost City Radio
"An engrossing and exacting moral thriller."-Peter Ho Davies, author of The Welsh Girl
"I was grateful to experience full-tilt insomnia, reading Nick Dybek's splendid, haunting, When Captain Flint Was Still a Good Man. . . . I love this novel."-Howard Norman, author of What Is Left the Daughter
"Nick Dybek grabs hold of both your imagination and your conscience, and won't let them rest."-Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, author of Ms. Hempel Chronicles
